Essential Mix

If the Essential Selection is the soundtrack to UK clubbers pre-club Friday night, The Essential Mix is the sound of them losing it on the dancefloor, ripped to the tits on drink and drugs.

Hosted by Pete Tong since the early Nineties, it has featured virtually every DJ worth listening to. Initially focussing on studio sets, it gave DJs the chance to stretch themselves in the studio, free from the constraints of the commercial mix-tape.

With the rise of superclubs like The Ministry of Sound and Cream in '94-'95, the Essential Mix featured more live sets, with the emerging Ibiza scene featuring heavily during the summer.

Tracklists to the sets were published in MixMag and eventually on the Radio 1 website.

The beauty of the show is in its variety; it has showcased the very best dance music from right across the spectrum. It is also arguably the best reason to own C120 blank audio tapes. Pete Tong, introducing a BT set in 1995: "Remember, kids at home, you're not meant to tape this...(laughs)...I said, you're not meant to tape this."